Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture and Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange Sign MOU to Promote International Cultural and Artistic Exchange

The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange announced on January 19 that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture Daehangno Center to revitalize international cultural and artistic exchange and establish a sustainable cooperation system.

The main points of the agreement include: ▲ revitalizing the linkage of global festival platforms, ▲ promoting collaborative projects such as the exchange of artworks and young artists, and ▲ expanding exchanges centered on Asian regions, including China and Japan.

Through this agreement, the two organizations aim to strengthen the foundation for international exchange and establish a practical and leading cooperation model to globally expand the capabilities of K-Arts, with Seoul as a hub for foundational arts activities. To achieve this, they plan to organically connect the foundation's accumulated experience in supporting the arts, its outstanding foundational art content, and its artist network with the systematic international cultural exchange support system and global network held by the foundation for international exchange.

Song Hyungjong, CEO of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (left), and Park Changsik, President of the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, are taking a commemorative photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for revitalizing international cultural and artistic exchange and establishing a sustainable cooperation system at the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture Daehangno Center on the 19th.
Photo by Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

Last year, the two organizations laid the groundwork for cooperation through various international exchange projects. These included the Central Asian tour of "Train No. 37," a joint production with the Koryo Theater in Kazakhstan to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation, the Seoul Convergence Arts Festival "Unfold X" celebrating the "Year of Korea-China-Japan Mutual Cultural Exchange" with artist exchanges and exhibitions from the three countries, and expanded cooperation in Asia. Two award-winning works from the Seoul Arts Awards were also successfully performed in seven European cities, and the organizations promoted the exchange of works at the Seoul-Montreal Street Arts Festival.

Building on these achievements, the foundation and the foundation for international exchange plan to further expand opportunities for mutual exchange between private arts organizations and artworks this year. In particular, they will discuss various collaborative projects to help nurture the next generation of artists and spread the essence of Korean art.

Song Hyungjong, CEO of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, stated, "With the world’s eyes on Korea, international exchange is more than just the spread of culture-it is a process of sharing the time and artistic depth accumulated by foundational arts with the world. Through this agreement, it is especially meaningful and historic that the two organizations will create more opportunities for young people and support exchanges tailored to the careers of mid-career artists, laying the groundwork for sustainable K-culture together."